Finger blisters.

I play bass with fingers for a year now. I'm pretty comfortable playing with fingers, but once in a while I get blisters on both my index and middle finger and I have to stop playing bass for a month or so 'til they're gone.

I don't think my choice of strings are the problem because I get blisters with regular and steel bass strings. Maybe I'm plucking the strings too hard for the tips to handle? Or will they become less frequent with time?

(by blisters I mean a small white circle of infected skin on the finger tips that hurts if I continue to play)

weirdjohn87

01-08-2008, 05:02 PM

I got blisters when I started playing bass, but I played through it. Now I just have callouses.

banzaitohottie

01-08-2008, 05:02 PM

ive had that problem, though not the infected part. just pick up a pick for the meantime.

JMDavis07

01-08-2008, 05:05 PM

Pop 'em, clean them, apply neosporin, bandage, play through the pain.

Helps them to heal faster and turns them into callouses a bit faster.

Do the deed.

windmill0466

01-08-2008, 05:05 PM

Don't stop. Not for a month at least. Maybe play softer til the pain goes down but DON'T stop for a whole month. The same thing happend to my thumb when I learned to double slap. I loved that pain cause it told me I was getting somewhere. Haha and now my bassist friends and I compare blisters and such all the time.

But yes. Keep playing. Where your scars proudly at least.

bassrage

01-08-2008, 09:04 PM

ive had that problem, though not the infected part. just pick up a pick for the meantime.
please do the world a favour and dont 'pick up a pick'.. yeah i totally agree with the other guys that you should play through it.

FullMetalBass

01-08-2008, 09:06 PM

please do the world a favour and dont 'pick up a pick'.. yeah i totally agree with the other guys that you should play through it.
As to not start another pick vs fingers thread please cut it out.

to TS, I too have recently been getting blisters due to the fact that I've been slapping and popping like crazy lately. I just pop 'em and play through the pain as others have said.

Jtabass

01-08-2008, 09:25 PM

yea just keep playing, dont stop
youll soon get kallises and then they wont hurt or break anymore

83lespaulstudio

01-08-2008, 09:59 PM

bass players get blisters. we just keep on playing. pretty soon you'll blister less. my saturday band practice, usually lasts for several hours, so i play on sore fingers almost every sunday morning. 'gotta love it! :cool:

Ki'

01-08-2008, 10:02 PM

Thanks for the replies. I'll take your advice and keep playing.

jazz_rock_feel

01-08-2008, 10:39 PM

Yeah, take this as an opportunity to advance your picking technique. Or you're completely not into picking (I would still give it a chance but whatever), just play with a lighter touch. Really that goes for everything. Don't play really heavily while plucking, it just leads to what you're getting; blisters. Play with a lighter touch and I bet you'll almost never have blisters.

BladeSlinger

01-08-2008, 10:57 PM

Start learning how to slap.=p.......I usually wait a day or two then play anyway....

detroit

01-09-2008, 01:41 AM

please do the world a favour and dont 'pick up a pick'.. yeah i totally agree with the other guys that you should play through it.

Please join me in starting a group called FDLFPWP. Friends Don't Let Friends Play With Picks. I will be standing outside of your local Wal-Mart and taking donations soon. Please join the cause soon before the pick playing disease spreads. :no:

Zar938

01-09-2008, 02:26 AM

Please join me in starting a group called FDLFPWP. Friends Don't Let Friends Play With Picks. I will be standing outside of your local Wal-Mart and taking donations soon. Please join the cause soon before the pick playing disease spreads. :no:

didn't someone already mention not starting a pick v finger war?

if you just keep playing you'll develop calluses then if you keep playing after that you'll just get REALLY thick skin. At the beginning of the school year (September) I used to get small blisters after my two and a half hour jazz band practice. Soon after i started getting calluses. Had jazz band today, played two and a half hours plus another half hour at home practicing a solo i missed, and there is no visible difference to my finger tips at all, the skin is just so thick.

i'm sure if i played for a ridiculous amount of time they would start to blister or maybe sting a little, but they're definitely strong enough for the amount that i currently use them.

Jiimy

01-09-2008, 03:31 AM

You know, the biggest mistake I see a lot of younger players making these days is playing way too hard. If you are consistently getting blisters on your plucking hand, then you are more than likely rocking out hardcore like Flea or something. Playing a little softer will give you more control and a rounder, less aggressive tone (not to say aggressive is bad, just not always what is called for). If this isn't the problem and you play soft like a kitten then just disregard haha.

Ki'

01-09-2008, 01:59 PM

You know, the biggest mistake I see a lot of younger players making these days is playing way too hard. If you are consistently getting blisters on your plucking hand, then you are more than likely rocking out hardcore like Flea or something. Playing a little softer will give you more control and a rounder, less aggressive tone (not to say aggressive is bad, just not always what is called for). If this isn't the problem and you play soft like a kitten then just disregard haha.

Thanks, I'll try play a little softer although I find playing soft more difficult to give consistent plucks. Practise...

gm jack

01-09-2008, 02:34 PM

If your fingers are, sore, simply slow down for a day or two, until they fell better. However, keep playing through it so that calluses can buildup on your fingers, so they are less likely to blister in the future.

anarkee

01-09-2008, 04:32 PM

um, am I the only person on this forum that never got blisters playing bass? I got them when I started playing guitar at 8 yrs, but never have gotten them playing bass. And I play alot and with the alleged blister forming Rotosounds.

To the TS, yes, you probably want to lay off for a day or so, but get right back in there and keep playing--forming callouses is the way to avoid blisters. Short term pain = long term gain. If you absolutely have to play with blisters, say for a gig, you could coat your fingers with a liquid bandage, such as New Skin but make sure you wash it off afterwards because it will inhibit callous building.

gm jack

01-09-2008, 04:37 PM

um, am I the only person on this forum that never got blisters playing bass?

I've never had blisters, and I've never played a stringed instrument before. And within a week a put what I know know were Swing 66 strings on as I snaped ono trying to tune. Damn guitar tuner that didn't support bass. :mad:

But in fact, the only I've had finger pain was after a 30 min practise on dead strings on my old bass. Admittedly, I was going twice as fast as I needed to for longer that I had even gone at that speed before, but all I got was a some sore redness on a index fingertip.

People have wussy fingers :p:

Jonnomainman

01-09-2008, 04:38 PM

I've been playing for a good 3 or 4 years and then two days before a gig I got two huge blisters!

These were beasts. about 6mm wide and 4mm tall. On my index and middle finger of my plucking hand.

With a gig looming the only option was to pop it. So i did, then ran it under a tap. It's the weirdest feeling in the world!

AmpleSteak

01-09-2008, 06:35 PM

I haven't got any blisters for using fingers the only ones i get is from tapping haha.